Father Thomas

Start-class article · First seen: s19 · Last seen: s19
Father Thomas
Father Thomas Aldrich · Aldrich · Sir Aldrich
Father Thomas — portrait.
Character
StatusAlive
First seens19
Last seens19
PlayerBrian
FactionPure Light, Sevryn's recruits

Father Thomas is a human Twilight Cleric of the Aurelian Pure Light — “Father Thomas, Priest of the Pure Light” — played by Brian from session 19 onwards, his replacement character after Mike’s s18 execution. The DM also addresses him as “Aldrich”/“Sir Aldrich” on checks, treated here as a surname (full: Father Thomas Aldrich). He joined the party in session 19 by catching up to their camp on the road: he had been among the patrol that executed Mike, and came not to arrest the party but to atone, having “taken a leave from my order in order to pursue good works” after witnessing “the brutality in the name of what should be goodness” [3], L708). A penitent man at the start of a crisis of faith, he still carries the reflexes of his order — he framed his mercy as sparing Mike a finger rather than his head [8] and reflexively distrusts goblins. He fights with a quarterstaff and club (Shillelagh and Booming Blade through War Caster), opens combat with a reactive Shield (which the DM rules reads as arcane), and dropped Twilight Sanctuary in his combat debut against the fey ambushers [35]. He wears white robes and carries a white wooden shield bearing his holy symbol, and intends to craft 50 gp platinum-ring spell foci with his jeweler’s tools [21], L913-917).

Appearance and personality

Father Thomas is a human dressed in white robes, with no armour and a white wooden tight shield bearing his holy symbol; he walks leaning on a quarterstaff [21]. His default register is courteous and apologetic, a serving cleric trying very hard to be gentle — but the Aurelian reflex keeps surfacing underneath. His very first words to the party were an apology for “that unpleasant business with your friend,” immediately undercut by “but, I mean, he really should have known better” [2]. He frames his break with his order in the language of compassion — “There is no justice in using your faith as a cudgel instead of to help the needy” [4] — yet the line that gives him away is meant as reassurance and lands as a chill: he would not have taken Mike’s head for so small a spell, “perhaps only a finger” [8]. A man at the very start of a crisis of faith, in other words, still measuring mercy in severed digits. He is also reflexively wary of goblins, in keeping with Aurelian insularity (colour established around the Gristleback scene).

On Steven’s Insight read at the introduction, Thomas comes across as honest but “holding back a little bit” [5] — genuine in his atonement, but guarded about something. He is openly, performatively pious: he holds up his holy-symbol shield and declares “the power of my God shall protect us all from the heretics in this world” [9], apparently unaware (or in denial) that he has just joined a party of wanted heretics who steer him off the subject of magic at every turn.

Background

Father Thomas is a serving Priest of the Pure Light, the Aurelian state faith. He introduced himself as “Father Thomas. Priest of the pure light” when he caught up to the party [3]. He was among the patrol that executed Mike in s18 — the party recognise him “from yesterday” [22] — but did not take part in the killing as the executioner; he has come, instead, to atone for “the actions of my comrades” [3]. He says he has been “having doubts for quite some time,” and that “when I saw the brutality in the name of what should be goodness, I chose I had to act. I have taken a leave from my order in order to pursue good works” [6]. This is a leave-of-absence / defection, not (yet) an excommunication.

He maintains that the Pure Light itself “has bestowed magic upon me” — that his clerical magic is sanctioned nature magic and therefore not heresy. He demonstrates by whirling his quarterstaff and casting Shillelagh into the ground with a “boom,” arguing “Nature magic. Not all magic is bad” [7]. The DM also addresses him as “Aldrich” when calling for checks [10], L1049), which reads as a surname or family name — hence the full form Father Thomas Aldrich (flagged for DM/player confirmation).

Build

  • Race: Human.
  • Class: Cleric, Twilight domain. Caelumn flags the subclass with delight on the reveal — “Oh, you’re Twilight Cleric. Oh, Nick’s favorite thing” [23].
  • Twilight Cleric kit (s19 combat debut):
    • 300-foot darkvision — “Fucking 300 feet. Twilight Cleric Darkvision” [13]; the only party member besides Hugo with darkvision, and by far the longest-ranged.
    • Advantage on initiative from the Twilight domain [24]; rolled a 19 on the fey ambush [25].
    • Twilight Sanctuary (Channel Divinity) — a 30-foot dome of dim light; the DM ruled the temp HP at 1d6+4 for any creature ending its turn inside [17]. The table agreed to roll once per round for pace.
  • Feat — War Caster: lets him cast Booming Blade as part of a Shillelagh-buffed weapon attack — “I got War Caster, so I can do that” [16].
  • Spells seen in play (s19): Shield (reactive, DM-ruled as detectable arcane magic despite divine flavour, [15]; Shillelagh + Booming Blade (the melee package, [7], L1333, L1352-1353); Twilight Sanctuary [17]; Bless [18]; Command (“Flee”, [26]; Cure Wounds flagged as a heal he can offer Caelumn [27].
  • Weapons: he can “really only reasonably use quarter staff and clubs” [28] — a quarterstaff (his walking staff and Shillelagh focus) and a club.
  • Level: matches the party.

Equipment

See Father Thomas’s loadout for the full list.

  • White robes — his order’s vestments; no armour [21].
  • White wooden tight shield bearing his holy symbol — held up as a holy symbol when he invokes his god [21], L726).
  • Quarterstaff — his walking staff and the focus for Shillelagh [21], L710).
  • Club — his backup melee weapon [28], used against a wisp at L1709).
  • Jeweler’s tools — with which he plans to craft platinum rings worth 50 gp each as spell foci, none made on-screen; he frames the 50 gp / 5 platinum-piece cost as the spell-component requirement [11].

Campaign role

Father Thomas joined the party in session 19. Notable beats from his debut:

  • [29]: catches up to the party’s camp at dawn, recognised as “one of the guardsmen that killed Mike” [30]. Caelumn shrewdly disowns Mike on the spot (“no, it wasn’t our friend. It’s just somebody we met”, [31] to avoid confirming the party’s heretic ties. Thomas then names himself and states his purpose: to atone [3].
  • [32]: makes his case for compassion over zeal, demonstrates Shillelagh to argue “not all magic is bad” [7], and lets slip the “perhaps only a finger” tell [8]. Steven’s Insight reads him as honest but guarded [5]; the party keeps him at arm’s length while inviting him along (“we bring him along just to see what happens”, [33].
  • [34]: discusses his crafting plan — jeweler’s tools and platinum rings as spell foci — and confirms he is a club-and-quarterstaff caster who needs money for components [11].
  • [35]: combat debut in the night-camp fey ambush. Opened with 300-ft darkvision and advantage on initiative [13], L1219), negated the first wisp’s hit with a reactive Shield [36], cast Shillelagh-and-Booming-Blade through War Caster [16], and dropped Twilight Sanctuary as the party’s temp-HP engine [17]. He also cast Bless on the party [18] — the Bless that kept a wisp-kill swing on-target for Hugo [37] — clubbed at a wisp [38], offered to revive Caelumn if he fell [27], and Commanded the last wisp to flee [39]. No PC died; Caelumn was driven to ~3 HP but held up partly on the dome’s temp HP.

Status at session 19

Alive, and newly travelling with the party. Camped on the cliffside hilltop a day’s walk back inland toward the Eldwythe bridge, having just helped fight off the Pixie and will-o’-wisp ambush. On a leave of absence from his Pure Light order to atone; still believes his own clerical magic is sanctioned, and does not (yet) know how deep his new companions’ heresy runs.

Player

Played by Brian (Discord handle; from the US). Father Thomas is Brian’s second character: his first, Mike, was executed by an Aurelian patrol in s18, and Brian rolled Father Thomas as the replacement for s19 — the second character he has introduced in three sessions. The DM addresses Brian’s PC as “Aldrich”/“Sir Aldrich” on checks [10], L1049).

Notable quotes

“I am Father Thomas. Priest of the pure light. And I have come to you in order to atone for the actions of my comrades.” — Father Thomas, [3]

“There is no justice in using your faith as a cludule instead of to help the needy.” — Father Thomas, [4] (transcript “cludule” is a Whisper garble for cudgel)

“I have taken a leave from my order in order to pursue good works.” — Father Thomas, [6]

“Nature magic. Not all magic is bad.” — Father Thomas, [40]

“I would not have taken his head for such a simple spell, you know. Perhaps only a finger.” — Father Thomas, [8]

“the power of my God shall protect us all from the heretics in this world.” — Father Thomas, [9]

See also

References

  1. ^ Session 19, line 668-677 — A figure from the Mike-execution patrol approaches the camp at dawn; described in white robes, white wooden tight shield, no armour, walking with a quarterstaff.
  2. ^ Session 19, line 685 — Apologises for "that unpleasant business with your friend" — but adds "he really should have known better" (Aurelian reflex).
  3. ^ Session 19, line 695 — Introduces himself: "I am Father Thomas. Priest of the pure light. And I have come to you in order to atone for the actions of my comrades".
  4. ^ Session 19, line 697 — "There is no justice in using your faith as a cudgel instead of to help the needy".
  5. ^ Session 19, line 703 — Steven's Insight reads him as honest "but he is being extremely... holding back a little bit".
  6. ^ Session 19, line 708 — Has "taken a leave from my order in order to pursue good works" after seeing "the brutality in the name of what should be goodness".
  7. ^ Session 19, line 710 — Casts Shillelagh on his quarterstaff to argue "Nature magic. Not all magic is bad"; the Pure Light "has bestowed magic upon me".
  8. ^ Session 19, line 724 — The tell that gives him away: "I would not have taken his head for such a simple spell... perhaps only a finger".
  9. ^ Session 19, line 726 — "the power of my God shall protect us all from the heretics in this world".
  10. ^ Session 19, line 865 — DM addresses him as "Aldrich" on a History check (apparent surname/alias).
  11. ^ Session 19, line 913-917 — Has jeweler's tools; plans to craft platinum rings worth 50 gp each as spell foci; "I can really only reasonably use quarter staff and clubs".
  12. ^ Session 19, line 1049 — DM again addresses him as "Aldrich" on a check (nat 1).
  13. ^ Session 19, line 1198 — "Fucking 300 feet. Twilight Cleric Darkvision" — 300-ft darkvision.
  14. ^ Session 19, line 1219-1220 — Advantage on initiative from Twilight Cleric; rolled a 19.
  15. ^ Session 19, line 1224-1229 — Opens combat with a reactive Shield to negate a 22 to-hit; DM rules the cleric's Shield is still an arcane spell.
  16. ^ Session 19, line 1333 — Casts Booming Blade via War Caster ("I got War Caster, so I can do that") off a Shillelagh attack.
  17. ^ Session 19, line 1420-1435 — Activates Twilight Sanctuary — a 30-ft dome of dim light; DM rules the temp HP at 1d6+4 for anyone ending their turn inside.
  18. ^ Session 19, line 1259 — Casts Bless on the party mid-fight.
  19. ^ Session 19, line 1709-1713 — Attacks a wisp with his club; offers to bring Caelumn back up if he falls.
  20. ^ Session 19, line 1764-1772 — Casts Command ("Flee") on the last wisp, forcing it to dash away.
  21. ^ Session 19, line 677 — Inline citation.
  22. ^ Session 19, line 682 — Inline citation.
  23. ^ Session 19, line 1199 — Inline citation.
  24. ^ Session 19, line 1219 — Inline citation.
  25. ^ Session 19, line 1220 — Inline citation.
  26. ^ Session 19, line 1770 — Inline citation.
  27. ^ Session 19, line 1713 — Inline citation.
  28. ^ Session 19, line 913 — Inline citation.
  29. ^ Session 19, line 668-695 — Inline citation.
  30. ^ Session 19, line 668 — Inline citation.
  31. ^ Session 19, line 687 — Inline citation.
  32. ^ Session 19, line 697-724 — Inline citation.
  33. ^ Session 19, line 730 — Inline citation.
  34. ^ Session 19, line 913-920 — Inline citation.
  35. ^ Session 19, line 1198-1772 — Inline citation.
  36. ^ Session 19, line 1224 — Inline citation.
  37. ^ Session 19, line 1671 — Inline citation.
  38. ^ Session 19, line 1709 — Inline citation.
  39. ^ Session 19, line 1770-1772 — Inline citation.
  40. ^ Session 19, line 712 — Inline citation.